New winter race!

Speedway and Backcountry Bicycles, along with We Cycle of Talkeetna will be putting on a bike only event in Talkeetna on February 9. Denali Brewing Co is in as well.
Exact details still TBD, but we've got an approximately 20mi course on which we will do both a 1 and 3 lap race.
The course will be groomed and there will be no gear requirement.
Details to follow shortly, so mark your calenders and please spread the word.

It was pointed out to me the race day conflicts with the Eagle River event, but unfortunately we have to keep this date. Trying to find dates for events is difficult, as so many weekends are spoken for.
The course covers fantastic terrain-think Kincaid or Kepler. Rolling hills and narrow trails. It pops down onto the river to run back into town, usually with a tailwind.

It's way too early to know my work schedule, but I'd be in. Haven't ridden in that area yet.

waaahoooooooooooooooooo

Calvin : Ahhh, another bowl of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs! The second bowl is always the best! The pleasure of my first bowl is diminished by the anticipation of future bowls and by the end of my third bowl, I usually feel sick.Hobbes : Maybe you shouldn't use chocolate milk.Calvin : I tried Cola, but the bubbles went up my nose.

The link sent me to some other site w/ no info on your race. Can you tell me what the entry fee is and other info?

Thanks and I hope biz is booming down in Spenard

Pat

Hi Pat-no such link as of yet. I just wanted to set the date. We haven't pinned down the entry fee. Trying to keep it as reasonable as possible while still offering a great event. I've got the insurance figures, working on schwag. We'll post info asap.
Hoping to make it down for the Epic, though as a volunteer who gets to ride a bit?

A few of us are headed up to Talkeetna early next week to talk with local's and finalize the route. We should have a map posted soon. There's not enough snow to ride the course yet. Lot's of brush needs cover.

Online registration should be live by Monday. I'll post the link(s) asap. Denali Brewing is doing a beer for the event called Riders of the Storm! Talkeetna received about a foot of snow on average, so we should be able to get out on the trail soon. We'll post a map as soon as we can GPS the course.

Snow

I just got off the phone with Ralf up in Talkeetna, and they received 5" of snow over the last couple days, with more coming down as I write. They did not get hit with the warm weather on the last go around, so they're doing better than we are here in Anchorage. Looks like it will warm up this time, but the forecast calls for snow over the next several days. I'm planning on going back up Friday the 18th to pack the course again, so I'll post conditions once I see them first hand.

There was 12-14' of fresh snow on the course Friday. Things are looking good, but it will take a bit more packing before it's nice and firm. We'll be going up again Friday if any of you with snowmachines would like to join in and see the course first hand. The GPS showed 931' of climbing per lap, with all of that concentrated in the first half of the course. Here's a pic of the trail coming down the river.

I went snow machining from my property on sheep creek & headed into the foothills of the Talkeetna mountains. About 6" of fluff there over a base layer of sugary snow with a 'faux' crust in the upper inch. I'm not sure if I can do the race yet because of a potential time conflict that day, but I may be able to assist with packing the trail (I've got a 136 that shouldn't tear up the snow like my 155).

waaahoooooooooooooooooo

Calvin : Ahhh, another bowl of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs! The second bowl is always the best! The pleasure of my first bowl is diminished by the anticipation of future bowls and by the end of my third bowl, I usually feel sick.Hobbes : Maybe you shouldn't use chocolate milk.Calvin : I tried Cola, but the bubbles went up my nose.

course map

We'll be going back up Thursday for more packing. I would think it could be good to ride by the weekend, but still too soft at the moment. I'll post a report Friday. I just tried to post the map, but it wouldn't go. Should be up soon.

Chad, Tony, Ralf and I packed another 5" of snow on the course yesterday. It was snowing lightly when we left at 10pm, but didn't amount to much. Current temp is 13, so it should set up well. Sounds like there are some folks headed up for the weekend, so let us know how it rides.

Will there be a time cut-off for the race (e.g. you have to finish in XX hours to get an official time.)

We will probably have a cutoff of 5pm for starting the third lap. Since we are doing awards, dinner and concert the same day, it's tight on timing.
We'll be grooming as much as possible to keep it firm, so it should be doable. We'll have to run a sweep starting about 7.

We will probably have a cutoff of 5pm for starting the third lap. Since we are doing awards, dinner and concert the same day, it's tight on timing.
We'll be grooming as much as possible to keep it firm, so it should be doable. We'll have to run a sweep starting about 7.

I tried riding the course today but didn't do a very good job of navigating. From what I saw, though, the trail was fairly solid. Not super fast, and traction was a bit sketchy on descents, but pretty good, overall.

Thanks to Thirsty and his cohorts for packing miles of trail, and for picking a route with a pretty view.

Thanks Tim. Ralf was going to get out today and pack that 2" of snow that either fell, or was blown onto the course. Friday we are headed back up for more grooming. If we can believe Weather Underground, temps should be much warmer than this weekend. New snow in minus temps is always slow.

Any body want to ride it this coming weekend? It's rumored that there are going to be several dozen naked ladies strategically placed along the trail this Saturday (They will have bunny-boots and ear-muffs on, but in Alaska this is still considered naked between November 15th and March 20th).
An inside source tells me the ladies are going to jump up and down and cheer those who make a practice run this Saturday!

Anyone have any thoughts on tires? Will this be ride-able on Dillingers or is this strictly a Nate / Bud / Lou course?

Dillingers are way overkill. We were up there last weekend and Nates, etc. are more than enough. I imagine some of the river could get windswept and icy but I ride on a lake and icy trails regularly with only a Husker Du and a Larry. The unnecessary friction and weight of the Dillingers would just waste energy and slow you down...imo.